Railroad track electrical equipments are often located in cases and bungalows along the railroad track. These electrical equipments are primarily used to control rail traffic and crossing gates.
Many of these units were installed more than 50 years ago using either painted steel or galvanized metal. Over time, the environment has caused many of them to rust and corrode creating a potential safety hazard.
This compromised metal may allow insects, rodents, rain, and/or snow to penetrate the cases which can cause the electrical components to malfunction.
Some cases must also be replaced by bigger cases or bungalows to accommodate new, updated or additional equipments.
The current replacement procedure for the instrument cases in the railroad track industry is as follows:
1) The traffic on the track is slowed down or stopped;
2) All wiring, relays and other electrical components within the compromised instrument case are disconnected and removed;
3) The compromised instrument case is cut up and removed;
4) A new instrument case is installed on top of the new base;
5) The wiring, relays and other electrical equipment are reinstalled inside the new instrument case;
6) All the electrical connections are tested;
7) The old instrument case and components are discarded;
8) The track is re-opened for operation.
This procedure involves a tremendous labor cost, risks of misconnection and reduced track speed for a relatively long period of time.